Some rivers were still rising Friday from heavy rainfall two days prior. In fact river levels may peak near historic levels Saturday before slowly subsiding Sunday. This, the result of several inches of rain early Wednesday morning.

Too much rain fell in a short amount of time for the ground to adequately handle the water.

Rain totals early Wednesday while the batches of heavy rain moved through parts of the Upper Midwest and Central U.S.

Summertime moisture was present, thunderstorms organized, and heavy rain fell as a result. The numbers above indicate what some cities see for rainfall in a month, or even two months’ worth!

Flooding in the town of Gurnee, IL as seen by our field correspondent.

Friday we checked in with our field correspondent Ben McMillan who traveled to Gurnee, IL to cover the story. On air he reported 100 homes and 15 business were being affected by the flooding Friday afternoon. A state of emergency remained in effect. Governor Rauner of Illinois was in Gurnee Friday touring damage and flood areas.

Flooding in Gurnee, IL from the nearby Des Plaines River.

The American Red Cross offered cleanup kits at the Gurnee Police Department for those affected. The nearby Des Plaines River reached major flood stage at several measuring stations, causing the flooding you see in these pictures.

A river graph showing the observed level of the Des Plaines River at the Gurnee measuring station. The purple area is major flood stage where the highest impacts are felt. (Courtesy NWS)

The Des Plaines River is expected to crest near the record of 11.9 feet on Saturday night and then slowly sink back below flood stage next week.

Residents take action to prevent further damage from flooding in Gurnee, ILThis road was washed out in Gurnee, IL from the heavy rainfall

Another round of thunderstorms may hit this same area on Saturday. A quick-moving cold front will swing southeast through Wisconsin and Illinois with scattered thunderstorms. After that, the weather looks clearer through early next week.